Caring for the Donkeys at El Paraiso del Burro

Luis successfully completed his second sports challenge last Saturday in his efforts to raise monies for the donkeys at El Paraiso del Burro here in Asturias. So far we have raised over £1000 and would like to thank everyone who has donated or helped us to promote this fundraiser. As we near the final challenge on the 6th June, please help us to achieve our new goal of £1250 by helping us to spread the word or by making a small donation.

He was joined by his younger brother Ruben and 10,000 others who were taking part in El Soplao - cyclists, walkers and marathon runners all taking part in various events starting from Cabezon de la Sal in Cantabria. Unlike the UK, not many people use these events to raise money for charity and in the main is is used as a personal challenge and experience.

The route Luis and Ruben completed was just over 47km in total on foot, through beautiful mountains, valleys and woodlands. They both completed the route in 11.5 hours which was a great achievement.

Rosie the donkey and her stable mates at El Paraiso del Burro (the Donkey Paradise) lead a tranquil and cared for life in a beautiful lush valley in Arobes, Asturias. For many it is in stark contrast to the life they previously led. Many arrive at the sanctuary badly nourished, mistreated, with numerous health problems and over-worked. Rosie arrived at the sanctuary unable to walk properly as her hooves had overgrown causing her to have muscle and tendon problems. She was depressed and in a poor general state of health. With daily massages, regular grooming, hoof care, good food and regular check-ups she has blossomed and now spends her days wandering the lush valley, socialising with fellow donkeys and enjoying the hands on care she receives daily. The monies raised will help to feed her, pay farrier bills, and contribute to the general running costs of the sanctuary. With 24 donkeys, several rescue dogs and many volunteers to feed and shelter it doesn't come cheap so every penny/cent/dime counts. You can contribute here: Caring for Rosie

Luis' third and final challenge will be  a 160km cycle ride on the 6th June following the route of the Canal de Castilla. Once again this is an organised event in which he will participate with his brother Ruben. Following the event we will keep the fund-raising page open for one week as we know there are some people who want to contribute once all three challenges are finished.  After that, we will close the page and make arrangements with Marleen Verhoef at the Donkey Paradise, to hand over the monies raised. We will let everyone know via this blog and the dedicated Facebook page how much money we raise. Once again, a big heart-felt thank you to everyone who has contributed it means a lot to us and we couldn't have done it without you. Here is a short film of Rosie and another of some of here stable mates enjoying life in their autumn years:

The fundraising page at: http://www.gofundme.com/CaringforRosie will close on

 Saturday 13th June

An update from Toriello

It has been full on here for the past seven days with lots of gardening, general maintenance, cycling challenges and visiting family.

This recent spell of bright sunshine and warmer weather has brought everything on at a pace and we now have lots of blossom on the peach and greengage, the pear is just about to bloom and the orange tree is full of tiny white buds. The vegetable plot now has 100 potatoes planted, several rows of peas and mange tout, a new lavender hedge (for the bees, soap and hand cream making) and, the remainder of the compost has been added around the raspberry canes. The ground also is prepared for the onions which will be planted next week. We are currently harvesting broccoli, leeks, celeriac, ruby chard and the last of the kalettes.

Luis' brother and his family came to stay this past week as Ruben planned to join Luis on the first of his challenges in the Caring for Rosie challenge (read more here). Last Tuesday Luis and Ruben set off from home at 8am and caught the train to Arriondas from where they commenced their cycle ride to the Lakes of the Picos de Europa mountains. They decided to start from Arriondas as there was a strong head wind on the day and they needed every drop of energy to tackle the 12 km ascent and the other 90 kms of road cycling.  They completed their epic ride and in total covered 100km with a total ascent of 2,827 m. So far We have raised over £750 for the Donkeys but with two further challenges to go I am confident we can meet our target of £1000.

It was good to spend time with Ruben, Veronica and the children and show them some of our local beaches and sights. The baby, Sara, is delightful and such a content and happy child. Kelan and Haizea are full of energy and really enjoyed playing in the garden and running wild on the sands. As for Luis and I, time to rest and recuperate over Easter in preparation for a busy Summer ahead.

Cycling in Asturias: El Fito viewing platform

Ribadesella with the Sueve Mountains in the background

Cycling in Asturias is a great way to discover this beautiful part of the country although it presents some challenges: being a mountainous region. You need a certain level of fitness to be able to face the challenge that some hills present.

You are never too far from a hill even when you choose the coastal routes.
When you cycle off road, the paths tend to be poorly signed and at times you need to carry your bicycle as some of the paths are not very well maintained.

Mountain biking really applies to off road cycling in Asturias but in spite of the challenges it presents, it is a great activity as you are never too far from magnificent views. Personally I tend to cycle along the roads as they never get busy with traffic and I tend not to get lost as easily.

This particular ride up el Fito viewing platform takes me to the Sueve Mountains which we see in the distance from La Pasera and it is a circular route along the coastal road after leaving behind Ribadesella.

After passing several villages and small towns dotted across beautiful valleys I turn towards the mountains until I see a road sign indicating El Fito viewing platform where main challenge of this route starts, a 600 m ascent over a 4 Km distance along a very windy road used as part of an international car rally and favoured by many car and motorbike drivers.

On this occasion, I came across about 200 motorbikes and the photo opportunity was a good excuse to catch my breath and have a sip of water.

The viewing platform is a very popular tourist attraction because on a clear day it affords incredible views across the valleys with the Picos National Park in the distance and golden sandy beaches below. This viewing platform is within a protected natural space when the semi-wild Asturcon horse can frequently be spotted. Unfortunately, this time they were on higher ground according to one of the farmers I spoke with.

View towards Ribadesella from El Fito viewing platform.

After reaching the top, one of my favourite parts is the free ride you are rewarded with down the rather steep and windy road. The fastest I have managed coming dawn is close to 60 Km per hour. I am sure many will be happy gaining a greater speed but for me, the possibility of a car coming in the opposite direction is a good reason not to come down any faster.

The coastal views with La Isla beach and Lastres town in the background.

The Picos National Park from El Fito

At the end of the free ride the town of Arriondas is a good place to refill the water bottle if needed just before joining the road that runs along the river Sella and after 17 Km you reach Ribadesella and a further 5 Km before reaching La Pasera once more. I often take a few minute's break over one of the few pedestrian bridges over the river where I can enjoy the surrounding scenery and on a warm day wave to the tourists enjoying a day out, doing the river descent by canoe, a popular outdoor activity with those visiting the region and as the weather remains very warm a good way to spend a day close to nature..

The river Sella as it reaches Ribadesella.

Cycling in Asturias 3: The mountain lakes

Cycling up to the mountain lakes: Enol and Ercina, near the Western Massif in the heart of the Picos National Park forms part of the toughest challenges within "La Vuelta"  the Spanish cycling tour. This is the third time I have cycled up to the lakes.

There are several routes I enjoy cycling from la Pasera that help me prepare for this yearly challenge. One of these routes is a circular tour that takes me up to "El Fito" viewing platform at 680 m high, within the Sueve mountains that offers stunning views down the Asturian coast and towards the Picos mountains. Approaching El Fito from the north side is a tougher route as you gain the altitude over a shorter distance.

On this occasion, I approached the climb from the south side. I cycled along the river Sella until I reached the town of Arriondas where I took the road up to El Fito, this is a road where every year an international car rally takes place during May.

Whilst cycling up this road the hard work is more endurable due to the natural beauty of the deciduous forest it runs through, the sound of the river water rushing down in the valley below, the numerous birds and the luscious vegetation and flora you can appreciate as you peddle...hard.

Eventually, the northern pine tree and eucalyptus become the main tree on the mountain while the scenery opens up in front of you to reveal the car park at the base of the rocky outcrop where a few steps take you up to the viewing platform. Depending on the weather, you may encounter herds of the Asturcon horse, a semi wild and rather small horse that has its stronghold within these mountains.

The way down is a vertiginous free ride until you reach the coastal plane near the stunning beaches of La Isla and Espasa. The temptation is to take a small detour and enjoy the quiet beaches at this time of the year before taking the quiet coastal road that would eventually take me back to Ribadesella and back home. Once I have done this route, I feel ready to cycle up to the lakes on a day the weather is not forecast to be too hot.

Cycling up to the lakes is always a challenge but not as difficult as when you do it for the first time. My younger brother joined me this time. We took the train from home to Arriondas town so that we would only have just over one hour cycling before we started the 12 km, 1100 m ascent that would take us to the lakes. We did it non stop. As I have done it before, I knew what to expect but still had a moment when I was tempted to turn back and we were only half way up and about to face the toughest part of the ride, the La Huesera incline. Overcoming tiredness and 90 minutes later, we reached the lakes with a big euphoric smile on our faces and a great sense of achievement. The distant snow covered peaks were shrouded in cloud and after we rested and took in the scenery, we started the return - 90 Km we cycled in total.

After a nice shower and bathing our thighs in cold water we were ready to go out and celebrate our achievement. We intend to do it all again next year if you fancy joining us. For us it is a question of enjoying the experience and I would not like to do one of the several competition many join during the seasons.

We will be doing it all again next Spring so... Get your bike out and begin your training. 

Cycling in Asturias - Luis and the lakes annual challenge

We have always enjoyed days out with the bicycle but cycling in Asturias is something that took me some time to get used to when we arrived at La Pasera. We were used to cycling along fairly flat paths that were well defined and signed posted but when we started cycling in Asturias we had to get used to the numerous hills and mountains that had to be climbed and navigate the lack of well defined and poorly signed posted off road paths.

Taking into account my poor sense of direction and map reading skills, I resorted to concentrate on road cycling on secondary roads that hardly get any traffic. In addition, cyclists in Spain have the same rights as any other road user and drivers are very used to cyclists.

Cycling from La Pasera is a rewarding activity with stunning scenery that takes you along unspoiled coastal areas and up roads offering magnificent mountain scenery. I would now miss not having the challenge of a climb and the free ride on the way down which is exhilarating.

After finding a good local cycle repair shop where I recently had my bicycle serviced, I have started my training in readiness for my yearly ride up to the mountain lakes, one of the toughest sections of "La Vuelta" or cycling tour of Spain.

Torimbia

Saint Antolin

My training programme will last about two weeks and will entail a series of circular rides starting from home of about 50 Km and a climb of about 600 m. I do not tend to time myself but each circuit takes me about 4 hours. This training will prepare me to cycle up the mountain lakes in the heart of the Picos National Park with stunning scenery and beautiful alpine flowers coming into blossom at this time of the years. I did the same circuit last year and really enjoyed it albeit a tough one.

Spring 2012

As Ian will be away, this year my youngest brother, Ruben, is joining me just before the Easter holidays and we aim to cycle about 100 Km  and an ascent of 1100 m (of which 1000 m in just over 12 Km).

My first training ride is a coastal route that takes me along two of my favourite beauty spots of the Asturian coast: Saint Antolin and Torimbia beach.

Cycling in Asturias: The challenge of cycling to the mountain lakes.

Trip Report by Luis 

Asturias is a beautiful region with a dramatic landscape where you are never very far away from the coast, luscious green valleys and the majestic Picos de Europa Mountains. Setting off cycling from La Pasera  to the surrounding villages is a flat and enjoyable ride and if we go further afield along the coastal plains it starts to require a certain affinity for cycling up and down hills and mountains.

When we first moved here I disliked venturing further afield due to a lack of fairly flat terrain and well defined off-road paths. Cycling along tracks where you have to get off your bike and carry it for a considerable length of time as it may be too rough even for a proper mountain bike, is not my kind of cycling.

Eventually I decided to limit myself to cycle along the numerous rather quiet lanes and roads where coming across other vehicles is rather infrequent. Spanish drivers seem to be well-used to cyclists on the road and the driving code stipulates that a cyclist has the same rights as any other car on the road. I remember when we frist drove up to the Picos de Europa mountain lakes (Lake Ercina and Lake Enol) in the car and spotted a professional looking cyclist who was steadily gaining altitude. I remember thinking then that such strenuous cycling would not be enjoyable.

Overtime...I started cycling up some of the easier mountain routes and I started to see cycling up to the mountain lakes as a possibility. After some weeks of training, I have recently cycled up the lakes for the second time, some would say I am a glutton for punishment.

Torimbia beach

During my training I cycled to one of my favourite beaches in Asturas, Torimbia. Once you reach the car park and before you start walking down to the beach it is worth stopping a for a while to admire the beautiful views of the Asturian coast with its dramatic cliffs and golden beaches.

El Fito looking towards La Pasera

Further training saw me cycling on the coastal road to the West which took me toward El Fito viewing platform at an altitude of about 700 m that offers some magnificent views of the coast and of the Picos National Park. Once I'd cycled up El Fito I knew that physically I was ready to undertake the challenge up the lakes.

It is one of the toughest challenges within the "La Vuelta" or the cycling tour of Spain. This cycling route up to the Lakes of Covadonga entails a 1056 m ascent over 12.6 Km that starts at the base of the sanctuary of Our Lady of Covadonga.

Our Lady of Covadonga

As I commenced the climb I cycled under the shade of the luscious mixed perennial woodlands that had started coming into leaf whilst the ground was a carpet of colour provided by the wild flowers, grasses, mosses and lichens. Concentrating on the flora and the sounds of the numerous songbirds is an interesting distraction from the physical hard work and the rising body temperature from hard cycling.

Eventually the clearings in the woodland became greater as I continued cycling up the road but now the vistas across the green valleys are stunning and for a short while I almost forgot how tired I was becoming. Cycling on up the road, the mountains start towering on my left while ahead of me I noticed the distant cars climbing the famous La Huesera section, 800 m with a 15% gradient that I needed to tackle as I reached the half-way point in the climb.

Psychologically, it is the toughest section but thankfully, numerous people cheer you up as they drive past. God knows what they think as you brave a smile trying not to loose concentration on reaching the bend on the road ahead of you. After La Huesera you hope for the lakes to be just around the corner while at the same time you know that you only just passed the halfway mark a short while ago.

The alpine flowers I encounter on the roadside are like eye candy whilst I considered if there is the energy left to continue the ascent. Eventually the mountain peaks start appearing closer and closer with every bend I conquer, until I eventually cycled around a massive rock to a first glimpse of Lake Enol  which greeted me with its waters reflecting the rocks and greenery that surrounds it.

Lago Enol

At this point the sense of joy and achievement starts setting in as I know it is only a few more hundred meters before I will reach Lake Ercina where I can draw breath and admire the snow covered peaks reflecting in the water.

Lago Ercina y Luis

I usually ask one of the numerous people visiting this beauty spot to take my photo as I try to control the big smile that I hardly can contain. After a much deserved rest, it is a matter of starting the free ride back down while keeping a good hold on the breaks to prevent the bicycle getting too much speed. You can never forget that the impressive views come with significant drops on the side of the road.

In total, this circular ride from La Pasera is about 95 Km and a refreshing shower is always much appreciated before relaxing in the garden with the cats playing in the grass.

Luis y Gawber